Chornat. Pierre. 50 ans, né le 20/6/44 à Letrat (Loire). Constructeur-mécanicien. Anarchiste. 2/7/94.
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
10.5 x 7 x 0.5 cm (4 1/8 x 2 3/4 x 3/16 in.) each
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.375.112
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bert revolutionized police identification with his "Bertillonage" system, combining precise body measurements with standardized photographs. This 1894 albumen silver print a glass negative captures Pierre Chornat, a 50-year-old constructor-mechanic from Let in the Loire region, labeled as an "anarchiste." Taken on July 2, 1894, it exemplifies Bertillon's mugshot format: a small, meticulously detailed portrait (10.5 x 7 cm) likely showing front and profile views to aid criminal record-keeping. Bertillon's work emerged amid France's turbulent Thi...
About the Artist
Alphonse Bertillon · 1853–1914
Alphonse Bertillon (1853–1914) was a pioneering French photographer whose work revolutionized forensic documentation, transforming police identification into a precise visual science. Born in Paris on April 22, 1853, he was the son of medical professor and statistician Louis-Adolphe Bertillon and the younger brother of demographer Jacques Bertillon. Lacking formal higher education after expulsion ...